To provide passengers' luggage with additional security and prevent it from being damaged Warsaw airport introduced an extra service of wrapping checked-in luggage in foil.A-500camp service by SI.BA is able to wrap not only standard bags, but also oversized luggage, such as golf equipment or surfing boards. The price is 25 zł per piece of luggage and is provided in two wrapping stations - in Terminals 1 and 2. SI.BA is providing its services at 19 airports in Europe.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Warsaw airport had a 41.7% increase in charter passenger traffic last year. For the first time the number of passengers on charter flights exceeded 1 million in a single year, reaching 1,175,382 compared to 828,401 in 2007.

The total passenger turnover on Warsaw airport in 2008 amounted to 9,482,608 (of chartered and scheduled flights).

The number of all passenger operations in 2008 was 129,728. It is a 2.6% decrease y/y. "Increased number of served passengers with decrased number of operations means that there are more bigger and filled to capacity planes arriving in Warsaw", said Jakub Mielniczuk, a spokesperson for Warsaw's Chopin Airport.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Only four flights from all the scheduled ones operating from the Wrocław airport took place on Wednesday due to bad weather conditions. Flights to Warsaw, Frankfurt, London, Brussels and Munich were called delayed and were finally cancelled as the heavy fog didn't lift up. 14 planes were directed to Kraków, Poznań or Katowice. Passengers awaiting departures of these planes had to travel to other airports. Some 1,000 passengers were affected.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Centralwings, a four-year-old subsidiary of LOT POlish Airlines, that used to be a LCC, and switched to charter flights in September 2008, will be gone from the skies for good. In four months time it will be absorbed by the parent company. The move was advised by the Polish state through the Ministry of Treasury, which is LOT's major shareholder (67.9%). Centralwings brand will be a history.

In other news about LOT, supervisory board decided to fire Konrad Tyrajski. He was responsible for unfavorable fuel hedging contracts.

Hungary's main international airport switched to oil from gas heating on Wednesday after Russian gas imports via Ukraine stopped, and the normal running of the airport was not affected, the airport operator said.

Local news agency MTI reported that the airport, owned by Germany's Hochtief AG (HOTG.DE), was among industrial users whose gas consumption had been limited.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Air New Zealand operated a 2-hr. 747-400 biofuel test flight from Auckland on Dec. 29 using a 50/50 blend of jatropha-based fuel and standard jet fuel to power one of the aircraft's Rolls-Royce RB211s.

Chief Pilot David Morgan, who was onboard the aircraft, said the flight crew conducted "a wide variety of tests under normal and nonnormal operating conditions, designed to test the biofuel to the fullest extent." For example, when the aircraft reached an altitude of 20,000-25,000 ft., the main fuel pump for the engine partially powered by the biofuel was switched off to test the lubricity of the fuel, ensuring its friction did not slow down flow. The jatropha-derived fuel was supplied by Terasol Energy.

Continental Airlines also plans to operate a 737-800 test flight using a fuel blend including components derived from algae and jatropha. International Air Transport Association (IATA) plans jet-fuel to contain 10% of bio-fuel by 2017.

Recent reductions of oil are not benefiting the Polish national carrier, because in July the management signed a long-term fuel delivery contract at over $140 per barrel.

Considering low fuel prices, in December LOT admitted to being left with overpayment of $92.4 million. Position of finance director, who was responsible for signing the deal, is threatened.

Most of airlines couldn't predict the plunging oil price and posted losses due to fuel hedging contracts, but LOT miss has beat them all. Members of workers union at LOT (employees own almost 7% of LOT shares) already announced notifying a prosecutor about deliberate actions of harming the company by the management. NIK (Supreme Chamber of Control) already initiated an inspection in LOT.

According to "Dziennik" and "Wall Street Journal Polska" McKinsey was one of the companies advising LOT on the contracts, predicting the oil price can reach over $200 per barrel on the turn of the year. It was around $40 per barrel in December.

Air marshals asked Muslim passengers off board after their remarks about safety on the plane

AirTran Airways apologized Friday to nine Muslims kicked off a New Year's Day flight to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security. One of the passengers said the confusion started at Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., when he talked about the safest place to sit on an airplane.

Nine passengeres removed from the board underwent extensive interviews from the authorities. Other passengers had to deal with the flight being delayed. AirTran said the incident was a misunderstanding, but the steps taken were necessary. Two Muslim organizations filed a protest and called for investigation.

One of the removed and questioned passengers told AP he appreciated the apology from the airline. Atif Irfan recalled the conversation he had onboard with his wife. When they boarded the flight Thursday, he mentioned something to his wife and sister-in-law about having to sit in the back. His sister-in-law replied that she believed the back of the airplane was the safest, but Irfan believed it was better to be by the wings.

"She said, 'Yes, I guess it makes sense not to be close to the engine in case something happens,'" Irfan recalled Friday. "It was a very benign conversation". Shortly afterwards they were approached by air marshalls and asked off the plane.